Thursday, September 22, 2011

Rich Coast

Costa Rica translated into English literally means rich coast. It is filled with hundreds of species of flora and fauna and is extremely diverse. After spending ten days in a small surf town called Avellanas near Tamarindo, I fell in love with this beautiful country. The life they live is simply beautiful. It may not be the most luxurious life but it is comfortable and you are constantly surrounded with natural beauty. The people are laid back and seemingly worry free. Very hospitable, very happy, good energy overall. I promised myself I would return to travel around the whole country and see everything this small bridge country has to offer. The beach was gorgeous, beautiful sunsets every evening around 5:30pm. I would wake up everyday around 5:30am and go on a run, do yoga, work out, meditate, or write on the beach. There were hundreds of pretty shells on the beach, some with which I made a small key chain. The waves were awesome, I tried to surf once and did pretty well but wish I would have gone out to surf more often while I had the chance. I preferred to just swim, and if you swam far out enough you could just float peacefully, without the waves crashing on you. The best was that you could hear the sounds of the ocean, not of motors or the like, because there was nothing there to disturb you. Howler monkeys were often heard, making slightly frightening deep sounds. Once you saw the monkeys though, they seemed cute and harmless. Iguanas also roamed around, as well as once in a while rare birds I had never seen before. We went zip-lining which was an amazing time, and on the last zip-line I hung upside down which was totally sick! We also went on a catamaran trip and went cruising looking at little islands and the vast ocean. We snorkeled, but I put the gear up pretty quickly because there was not much to see since the reef was dead. Instead I swam and then kayaked around for a bit. Then Arden - an awesome girl on my trip that I totally already love - and I took the kayak out to see a little cave but she kept on falling off and it was too funny, I peed in the kayak. Hey, who can say they've peed in a kayak right? That was super fun, but what was even better was tying the kayak with a road to the boat and getting pulled and just laying on the kayak and letting it take us. We fell off once and had to swim to the boat but it was cool cause I needed a workout for the day anyways. The hostel we stayed at is called Mauna Loa, and the guy who runs it is named Gustavo. He is an awesome guy with whom I loved talking to, and I promised him I'd come back to visit. He taught me a lot about Costa Rica and the way they live and what not. He's an outstanding photographer, you should check him out at www.selvaazulphoto.com.  Another person I met who taught me something was this Argentinian girl named Roma. She's 25 and awesome. She moved down to Costa Rica to surf and live and works at the hostel, while making crafts on the side. She taught me how to make a new kind of bracelet which is pretty fucking cool. She says her parents named her Roma because backwards, amor, it means love. She loves her boyfriend so much and was so sure and trusting of him it was refreshing and pure. Gustavo's brother was beautiful, tan, surfer, blue eyes, sexy ass body, and totally off limits. But it was nice looking at his sweet smile. I love everyone in the group. Karelle is this spectacular half hispanic half European girl like me and we totally click and laugh our asses off for stupid shit. She says sorrynotsorry and it's like the coolest phrase ever. Arden is a fun sweetie pie from New York who was an awesome roommate in Costa Rica, along with Katie another sweetie pie from California who's super caring and organized. Julia makes these mean comments, with good intention, and she's just so fucking funny. Claire is my H-town buddy and I love the way she sings and her hand gestures when she talks, it's cute. Hope is just the most darling thing ever, and she's so smart and one of the genuinely good people I've met. Sarah is a wee bit shy, but once you get to know her she's sick and really fun to talk and laugh with. Chris is really funny and he doesn't even know it. Conner is really smart and I hope to learn some of his talking skills cause I really admire the way he can talk and put his thoughts to words. Tom is such a good boy and he's really nice and funny too, he knits, which is think is awesome. The program leaders I love as well, Scott is funny 24/7, Amanda is an organic farmer that loves to hug (score!), and Kayce is a person that reminds me a little bit of myself but 10x cooler and is a great yoga teacher. Stephen, the program coordinator, is so nice and sweet and I'm so thankful for all his hard work. I'm planning on giving him the bracelet Roma taught me how to make, but shhh, he doesn't know. So yeah Costa Rica was great, and I've already learned so much. All the seminars and discussions we have really get me thinking and I feel like I really am being challenged which feels good. I feel like my mind is slowly expanding. I'm so excited for Ecuador tomorrow. We go to Quito for about 5 days and then start on the actual service project for 6 weeks living with a family. I feel extremely lucky to be here, it's almost unbelievable. This trip will completely transform me, in a good way. I wish everyone that I love could be here with me, sharing all of these great experiences. I would be nothing with my family and friends, all of which have made a great impact on me and give me the love and support I need to be strong and happy. I miss you all. I send my love your way.

2 comments:

  1. This all sounds like so much fun! I'm really happy you're having the time of your life on your journey. When you decide to go back to costa rica please take me with you!! I can't wait to read the next blog. I miss you so so so so much and think about you a lot! I love you sexy. Kisses and lots of hugs! -karen

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